Device for reversing cigarettes and similarly-shaped articles of manufacture when packing same



' Dec. 18, 1934. w, BRUNN AL 1,984,962

DEVICE FOR HEVERSING CIGARETTES AND SIMILARLY SHAPED ARTICLES OFMANUFACTURE WHEN PACKING SAME Filed Oct. 30, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1lrrventord';

Wa/Zaer 37141241 71; d/ mens Awijkd Dec. 18, 1934. w U ET AL 1,984,962

DEVICE FOR REVERSING CIGARETTES AND SIMILARLY SHAPED ARTICLES OFMANUFACTURE WHEN PACKING SAME Filed Oct. 30-, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2lnventar's:

Wvtjizy $7547 Patented Dec. 18, 1934 PATENT OFFICE DEVICE FOR REVERSINGCIGARETTES AND SIMILAR-LY-SHAPED ARTICLES OF MANU- FACTURE WHEN PACKINGSAME Walter Brunn, Dresden, and Clemens Kaubisch,

Freital-Zaukerode, near Dresden, Germany, assignors to United CigaretteMachine Company, Aktiengesellschaft, Dresden, Germany ApplicationOctober so, 1933, Serial No. 695,940

. a In Germany January 7, 1933 4 Claims. 01. 226-) This inventionrelates to a device for reversing cigarettes and similarly shapedarticles of manufacture when. packing same, and it has for its objectcertain modifications of or additions to the device forming the subjectmatter of U. S. Patent No. 1,787,901 issued January 6, 1931.

In accordance with the invention according to the aforesaid U. S.patent, a stop orthe like is provided in conjunction with the cigarettefeed device, which stop can be .adjusted'both while at rest or when inoperation. In the latter position, this stop comes to rest against thelower or upper edge of the articles placedtransversely in the feed sothat during the movement of the feed device in relation to the stop, thearticles will be turned over.

The device above referred to has been found unsuitable in thecase ofhigh-speed machines.

In this case the impact of the cigarettes against the, guides is ratherviolent, with theresult that the cigarettes are either damaged or areeven jerked out of the feed device, or become wrongly placed on it. i V

' The object of the present invention is to remedy this drawback and toprovide a device which while operating according to the principle of theaforesaid patent does not present the above-mentioned disadvantages byreasonof the fact that the guidesor stops which effect the .turningofthe cigarettes accompanying the cigarette for a certain portion of itstravel and act gradually upon it during its travel, that is to say, movethe cigarette slowly from the flat position into the upright positionand possibly even beyond it into the reverse'flat position. Themovementof the turning guides or stops jointly withthe continuouslyadvancing cigarettes and the gradual entry of the guide intoithe' pathof the cigarette can be effected in various ways. For example,

the guide, operated by a crank drive, can execute a movement along withthe cigarette and a movement against the cigarette: preferably however,

the stops are arranged on a revolving conveyor unit which travelsforward at, for example, the same speed as the cigarettes to be turned,and in the same direction, having simultaneously imparted to them amovementat, for example, right angles relative to this direction, thatis to say, transversely to the path of the cigarettes.

Reference is made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate oneexample of the invention, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a side view showing more or less partly with the face at thetop, and they all have to be turned into the face-up position. For thispurpose the conveyor, which runs on rails 2 over .a table 3, isconnected either on one side or onboth sides to a revolving disc 4. The

disc rotates round an axis 5 mounted on a support 6 which is arranged onthe table 3. The disc 4 is provided with a concentric circle of bores inwhich pins 7 are rotatably mounted. These pins carry at one end, that isto say on that nearest to the chain 1, discs 8 from the inner face ofeach of which projects an eccentrically placed pin 9.

Secured to the opposite end of each pin 7 which projects from the disc4, are rings 10, each of which carries two radially located pins or lugs11 and 12 provided with an oblique face. Between the rings 10 and thedisc 4 brake springs 13 are insertedwhich are intended to maintain theposition of the pins '7 in the bores, once it has been adjusted. Thedisc 4 itself is provided uponits periphery with teeth 14 meshing with adriving pinion, not shown in the drawings. The disc is thereby caused torotate continuously in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1,and at such a peripheral speed that the wheel revolves each time by onedivision, that is :to say,

-a distance equal to that between the pins 7 while the conveyor IV hasmoved toward by one division,

likewise in the direction of the arrow.

The pins '7 can be set by'means of the two lugs or pins l1 and 12 intwodifferent positions. In one'position, in which the centres of the pins 9and the centres of thepins 7, lie upon thesame circle, the pins 9 whenmoving past the chain 1 :pass between two cigarettes, that is to saythey are'situ'ate d each time at the point where the tooth of the chainis to be found. If, however,

the pins 7 are turned in such a way that the pins 9 are turned from theabove mentioned position towards the centre of the disc 4, then the pinspassthrough the gap in chain 1 and thereby act upon the cigarette andturn the latter. This action is shown in Figs. 3-5. In Fig. 3 theposition is shown in which the pin 9 is neutral or ineffective. It canbe seen that it passes by the tooth of the chain, that is to say, itpasses through between two cigarettes. The next position of'disc 8 withpin 9 is shown in the dotted line in Fig. 3. Thus the cigarette willremain in the position in which it is. Y I

In Fig. 4 the pin 9 is shown turned into the working position. At thesame time, the neutral position of the pin is indicated by a dottedline. It can be seen that the pin 9 in the position indicated by a fullline must engage with the cigarette, viz. with the left edge of thecigarette, when the disc 8 continues to move on the circle shown by thedot and dash line, and passing through the centres of pins '7. It willthereby turn the cigarette in clockwise direction, and immediately thedisc 8 has assumed the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4, the pinhas turned the cigarette upwards in the manner shown by thisillustration.

Fig. illustrates the same adjustment as Fig. 4. In this case, thecigarette has been turned into the vertical position or somewhat beyondsame so that it will turn over completely when the pin 9 moves away fromit upon the wheel 4 continuing to rotate, thus completing the revolutioncommenced by the pin. On the other hand, it is also possible to providespecial means to prevent the cigarettes from falling backwards, that isto say, stops 21, the lower portion of which preferably consists ofrubber or the like, this portion coming into contact with the edge ofthe cigarette pointing upwards and turning it over completely, if itdoes not fall over by itself, thus placing it in the face-up position.

The pins '7 are controlled by a lever 15 pivotally mounted at 16. Thislever is maintained by a spring 17 against a stop screw 18; at the sametime it is in such a position that the lugs 11 on the rings 10 engagewith it when the wheel 4 rotates, thus turning the pins '7 in such a waythat the pins 9 are brought into the neutral position. In Fig. l, a pin11 is shown engaged with the lever 15.

Opposite the lever there is arranged an electro-magnet 19. This magnetis inserted in a circuit which can be closed by a press-button. Thispress-button is placed within reach of the attendant who is watching thecigarettes travelling past on the chain 1.

Mounted on the pedestal 6 is a further stop 22, bent in angular fashionand so arranged that it engages with the inward projecting lugs 12 onthe discs 10. As aresult of the engagement of the lugs 12 with the stop22, therings 10 and thereby the pins 7 are turned in such a way that thepins 9 are brought into the active position, as

,shown at the left handside of Fig. 1.

So long'as the electro-magnet 19 is not excited the pins 9 turned intothe acting position by stop 22 will invariably return to their neutralposition when moving past the lever 15. If, however, the attendantnotices a wrongly placed cigarette, he will close the circuit; the lever15 is actuated and assumes the position shown by a dotted line in Fig.2. Consequently it does not return the relative pin '7 into the neutralposition so that the pin 9, which is related to it, effects the turningover of this cigarette in the manner described above when its pathcrosses that of chain 1.

As there is a pin 7 or pin 9 allocated to each cigarette and .a certaintime elapses between the electro-magnet 19 being excited and the pin 9brought thereby into the working position becoming effective, thecontrol must be operated as a cigarette passes a certain point.

This point is characterized in Fig. 1 by. means of an inspection device20. The inspection can take place directly by an operator who, forexample, looks down through the tube 20 and observes the cigarettespassing under it. However, provision may also be made for anautomaticelectrical control in the form of a photo cell or selenium cellwhich are controlled in the manner known per se by the differentreflections of light issuing from the cigarette, according to whether anon-printed, that is to say, wrongly placed cigarette, or a cigaretteprovided with an imprint and placed correctly, passes by. The photo cellthen controls the circuit exciting the electro-magnet 19.

The control may likewise be carried out in the known manner by a seamfeeler, which, upon coming into contact with the seam of a wronglyplaced cigarette closes the circuit for the electromagnet 19. However,it is of course possible both in the case of direct observation and inthe case of observation by means of a photo cell or by means of aseam-feeler or the like to re-- place by a mechanical control theelectric control obtained with the electro-magnet 19, by arranging forthe above-mentioned means of control to release a mechanical relay whichbrings the lever 15 into its neutral position. It will generally besuflicient if a wheel with turning pins 9 is provided only on one sideof the chain 1, as shown in Fig. 2.

If necessary, however, such devices can also .be arranged on both sides;as, however,'the

action is a comparatively gentle one, unilateral action suffices.provided with the turning pins, it is also possible to provide forexample an endless chain carrying the turning pins, this chain beingmoved forward at a speed correspondingto the revolution of thewheel 4.The pins 7 or pins 9 can, however, also be controlled by a crank oreccentric motion. a

- In the form of excution shown, the stops for turning the cigarettescross the path of they latter in the upward direction. It is, of course,also possibleto arrange the conveying means for the stops and allow itto rotate in such a way that it crosses the path of the cigarette in thedownward direction, that is, it depresses the side of the cigarettewhich engages with. the stops, and thus raises the opposite side.

-We claim:--

1. In combination with a conveying device feeding parallel obliquelylocated cigarettesand similarly shaped articles of manufacture ontopacking boxes or the like,a reversing device for ing a movable .stopadapted to be-moved into Instead of the revolving wheel the path of therespective article and to contact with the one edge of the article whenin its operative position, and means for moving said stop,

.duringoits operation, in a curved path intersecting the path of thearticle'to be turned and and having a component in the direction of thepath of. the article.

2. In combination with a conveying device feeding parallel obliquelylocated cigarettes and. similarly shaped articles of manufacture ontopacking boxes or the like, a reversing device for such of the respectivearticles of manufacture which are lying on the wrong side, said devicecomprising a plurality of stops adapted to be moved onto the path of therespective articles and to contact with the one edge of the article whenin their operative position and a conveying member carrying said stops,said member being adapted to move said stops in a curved pathintersecting the path of the article to be turned and having onecomponent in the direction of the curved path and another component inthe direction crossing the curved path.

3. In combination with a conveying device feeding parallel obliquelylocated cigarettes and similarly shaped articles of manufacture ontopacking boxes or the like, a reversing device for the respectivearticles of manufacture which are lying on the wrong side, said devicecomprising a plurality of stops adapted to be moved onto the path of therespective articles and to contact with the one edge of the article whenoperative position, pivots to which said stops are eccentrically fixed,a revolving drum on which said pivots are eccentrically mounted at equaldistances from one another, and a setting device adapted to turn saidpivots into two difierent positions, whereby the stop pins in oneposition,

in their on crossing the conveying device for the cigarettes passbetween two cigarettes, whereas in the other position they engage acigarette and turn it.

4. In combination with a conveying device feeding parallel obliquelylocated cigarettes and similarly shaped articles of manufacture ontopacking boxes or the like, a reversing device for the respectivearticles of manufacture which are lying on the wrong side, said devicecomprising a plurality of stops adaptedto be moved onto the path of therespective articles and to contact with the one edge of the article whenin their operative position, pivots to which said stops areeccentrically fixed, a revolving drum on which said pivots areeccentrically mounted at equal distances from one another, twoadditional lugs on each of said pivots, two members lying in the path ofsaid lugs during the revolution of said drum, and one being adapted toturn the pivots into the active position and. the other to turn theminto the neutral position, and a controlling device adapted to put oneof said members out of action.

WALTER BRUNN. CLEMENS KAUBISCH.

